of the Mascarene Islands. 159 



other species of the family*? Human knowledge fails to answer 

 these questions, and they will accordingly, it is probable, always 

 remain riddles to us, the more so as this magnificent creature, 

 like so many others, is withdrawn for ever from our gaze. 



We have still another question to decide, how it comes that 

 Leguat is the only writer who has observed this gigantic Water- 

 hen of Mauritius, while the voyagei's who visited the island 

 before him speak of several other most remarkable birds which 

 they met with, but not this one. To explain the fact, one must 

 evidently infer that the voyagers only made mention of the 

 productions which they met with in the neighbourhood of their 

 anchoring-places, and that the giant bird of Leguat did not 

 frequent those places, because there were no marshes. This is 

 no doubt the case with the harbour on the south-east coast 

 where the ships regularly came to land, and where stood, in 

 Leguat's time and long after, the only port in the island. All 

 travellers report that the ground then was stony and unfruitful. 

 It was at this place that the companions of Van Neck and 

 his successors observed the Dodo and the other birds which they 

 describe. One must therefore suppose that Leguat and his 

 comrades, who passed through the wildernesses lying on the 

 other side of the island, where fowling furnished them without 

 trouble with abundant foodfj niet with our gigantic bird by the 

 rivers and marshes of these districts, while they were unknown 

 to those who from time to time landed and again departed, 

 as well as to the Europeans dwelling in the fort. In Leguat's 



* [Since Prof. Schlegel's paper was written, attention has been called 

 to the White Gallinule, figured in Phillip's ' Voyage to Botany Bay,' &c., 

 London, 1789 (p. 27-3), and in White's ' Journal of a Voyage to New 

 South Wales,' &c., London, 1790 (p. 238) — a bird which is said to have 

 formerly inhabited Lord Howe's and Norfolk Islands. This species Dr. 

 von Pelzeln refers (Sitz. Akad. Wien, xli. p. 331) to the genus Notornis 

 (Cf. Ibis, 1860, pp. 422, 423) ; and Mr. G. R. Gray (Ibis, 1862, p. 240) 

 to that of Porphyi-io. We only know of two specimens still existing, one 

 at Vienna, obtained from the Leverian Museum, the other in the Derby 

 Museum at Liverpool, from Bullock's collection. It would be very 

 interesting to know if the bird is still foimd on either of the islands 

 named, and we trnst our ornithological friends at the antipodes will en- 

 deavour to ascertain the fact. It is the Gallinula alha of Latham. — Ed. ] 



t Leguat, op. cit. ii. p. 9. 



